


Tattooed memories

by Nival_Vixen



Series: Short & sweet tumblr-weed [14]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Stiles, Complete, Derek Likes Stiles, Derek is Not a Failwolf, Derek left the pack, Derek needed time to recover, Derek went to South America, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Photography, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Sarcastic Stiles, Stiles Likes Derek, Tattooed Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 04:47:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2096295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nival_Vixen/pseuds/Nival_Vixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek's been away for two years, his holiday visiting Cora going somewhat longer than the intended month. He's returned to Beacon Hills to find that the town isn't the only thing that's changed, with Stiles sporting tattoos and piercings seemingly everywhere. He also discovers that he likes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tattooed memories

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [these pictures](http://nivalvixen.tumblr.com/post/94060796722/m-a-d-i-s-o-n1-omfg-dereks-been-away-from) on Tumblr

Derek's been away from Beacon Hills for two years. He had to go, after Paige and Kate and Jennifer and Braeden, he just couldn't stay there and fuck up yet another relationship. So he went to South America to visit Cora, and his intended visit of a month turned into 24 months instead. Cora's finally persuaded him to go back to Beacon Hills, telling him he'll be surprised at the changes. She's kept up with everyone online, while Derek's still too old fashioned and still has an old Nokia phone that he refuses to replace until it dies, so basically, he's never getting rid of his phone, and with that, only hears about the changes second-hand via Cora. She never told him about  _this_.

Derek remembers Stiles being a sarcastic little shit, somewhat scrawny and hyperactive, and now, now he's put on a lot of muscle, has his arms tattooed with sleeves, eyebrow rings in both eyebrows, a lip ring, and thick black studs in his ear. When he removes his hoodie, Derek sees that the tattoos actually travel up his neck, and he briefly wonders if his entire body is decorated in this assortment of flames, skulls, and wings.

"Stiles, hi... Remember me?"

_And oh god, that sounds like a weird and old estranged grandfather thing to say, and he sounds so lame he wants to beat his head against his brick phone._

Stiles however, just snorts as if both amused and annoyed, sticks his hands in his pockets. "No, who're you?" he says, and it's so straight-laced that Derek actually thinks he's forgotten, then Stiles smirks a little and raises a pierced eyebrow. "It's hard to forget the person you held up in a pool for two fucking hours, man. How've you been? You just coming back for a visit or to stay? Cora said there was some sorta surprise happening, but she didn't say anything about you."

Derek is relieved to find that Stiles is still as talkative as he remembers; it's comforting to know that that part of Stiles will never change, and he grins, leaning back against the rental car.

"Funny that, Cora didn't say anything about you, either," he replies, nodding at his tattooed arms. "Not too bad; still haven't figured out if I'm staying or not. Wanted to oversee the building of the house, and see what I do then... Thought you hated needles?"

Stiles shrugs briefly, glancing down at his bare arms. "Things change. You want a ride out to the house?"

"You still riding in that old Jeep?"

"Damn straight. Refitted the engine myself, she fucking purrs now," Stiles says, grinning broadly.

Derek blinks in surprise; Stiles didn't even know what a spark plug was 2 years ago. Still, he follows him down to the faded blue Jeep, and gets in without a word. Music blares out of the speakers when Stiles starts the ignition, and Stiles immediately starts humming along, turning the sound down to help ease Derek's aching ears.

"Who's this?" Derek asks, nodding to the stereo and trying to be polite, because asking 'what the fuck is this goddamn noise?' really does make him feel like an old grandfather. Next thing you know, he'll be sitting on a porch yelling at kids to get off his lawn.

"Misfits. They're pretty good," Stiles adds, grinning.

Derek doesn't try to expand on the conversation, and surprisingly, Stiles doesn't say anything either. Small talk falls away as Derek sits back and looks out at Beacon Hills, trying to see what's changed over the years. It surprises him to see that a lot of it's changed, and he mentions it to Stiles when he sees that even the diner's been upgraded and modernised from the rustic old thing that used to exist back when he was a kid.

"Yeah, kind of had to. A few months after the Benefactor was dealt with and you left, we were attacked by a couple of mages. Bastards levelled most of the main street, and it took both me and Deaton to defeat them."

It's then that Derek notices a spark of lightning stretching across Stiles' right wrist, and as he looks more closely, he sees a kanima winding its way up his arm too. There's a red-eyed wolf, a hunter's bow, three golden-eyed wolves, a pair of red lips opened in a scream, a bonsai tree, the symbol for 'self' in Japanese, it goes on and on until Derek feels as though their entire supernatural history is displayed and bared for all to see, right there on Stiles' arms. (Derek can't see anything that matches himself though, and wonders if Stiles even bothered, or if it's hidden where he won't have to see it.)

"Did you get everyone and everything on there?" Derek has to ask.

Stiles nods briefly. "Yep," he says, popping the p. "I'll show you yours if you want."

Derek's nodding before he even thinks it through, before he really takes in and registers the tone in Stiles' voice, that it means something more than a simple tattoo. He's proven right almost as soon as the Jeep stops in front of the Hale house, and Stiles steps out, only to strip off his shirt and chuck it in the back seat.

"Well? C'mon, man, I'm not waiting out here all day."

Derek's barely got his fucking seatbelt off, so Stiles will just have to wait. Just to annoy him further, he takes the long way around and slows his steps. It's got nothing to do with his traitorous heart, pounding away like this means something. Stiles has his hands in his pockets again, and it's stretching the material of his pants so it's taut against his ass, and yeah, okay, it means something. Well, it does to Derek at least.

He finally looks up and sees the triskelion on Stiles' back, right where his own is placed, settled between his shoulder blades. There's a series of flames, skulls, and feathers around it, but it's the triskelion that draws him in, and Derek can't help but trace a fingertip along it.

"Oh, fuck, that tickles," Stiles says with a laugh, turning around to face him again.

Derek's glance is immediately drawn down to his chest, following the skulls and flames. He steps closer when Stiles nods, and sees that in the eye socket of each skull, a name's transcribed. Claudia, Meredith, Heather, Paige, Laura, Boyd, Erica, Allison, the list goes on, ranging from people Stiles knew well to complete strangers, all of them victims to the world he'd been thrust in to and somehow survived. Derek looks at every single one, fingertips touching each name, and by the time he makes it to Stiles' shoulder and sees another triskelion there, this one miniature with his own name transcribed along the curls, Derek's trying hard not to cry like an idiot.

"There I am," he says, feeling stupid and lame all over again, but Stiles just nods seriously, moving his hand to capture Derek's and squeezes it lightly.

"That was the first tattoo I got, actually. Wanted something to remind myself that this life is serious, and it might not kill you, but it can still drive you away... Didn't realise how much I'd miss you 'til you were gone," Stiles admits, trying to play it off with a shrug.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek asks, eyes wide.

Stiles laughs, hollow and self-depreciating. "I tried. So many fucking times, you've got no idea. It never came out right, it didn't make sense outside of my head, and besides, why the hell would you come back to this hellhole for me?"

Derek stares at him, eyebrows raised as he tries to come to terms with the sudden realisation that Stiles is so very wrong, and he would have come back for him. Like Stiles, however, he finds that he can't put this in to words. Instead, Derek steps even closer, until they're chest to chest, and he can feel Stiles' nipple rings pressing against his torso. He waits for Stiles to push him away, to tell him he's too late, but Stiles just stares at him, eyes wide and licking his ringed bottom lip.

Derek kisses Stiles firmly, and Stiles responds immediately, one hand fisting in his shirt and the other in his hair, both holding him closer still. Derek kisses him, licks at the ring through his lip, brushes his thumb along one of his eyebrow piercings, and then holds Stiles closer by the nape of his neck. As they coax kisses out of each other slowly, Derek begins to realise that he's finally come back home, and this time, he's going to stay.

...

The end.

Thanks for reading!


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